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[theunofficialchurchofsatan]

Hello all, it’s been quite a long time since I’ve touched this app. A little shocked to come back to 10k followers. Unfortunately I have strayed from Satanism, though I will always look upon my time apart of it fondly, for how greatly it expanded my knowledge

[theunofficialchurchofsatan]

The Feigned Martyrdom Of Kim Davis (By Reverend Raul Anthony)

The death throes of righteous Christianity—that arrogant belief system used to forcing others to bend to its irrational dogmas—offer its more masochistic adherents the opportunity for martyrdom through punishment they so richly deserve, but not for the reasons they claim.

According to the New York Times, Ms. Davis’ lawyer, Roger Gannam, believes she has been incarcerated for her “belief of conscience that marriage is the union of one man and one woman”. This is incorrect, she’s in jail because she refuses to do her job and is being held in contempt of court for acting as if she’s above the rule of law. Unfortunately the media is giving this miserable failure the gift of fame and notoriety well beyond her sub-mediocre capabilities. While the spotlight happens to shine on this one dimwit, who wants to place the dictates of her mythical God above the law of the land, the success of a certain parody Twitter account reveals a level of sympathy for those who have to put up with such banal solipsism on a daily basis.

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Governmental Evangelism? (By Magus Peter H. Gilmore)

John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, rashly proposed creating a governmental agency to promote “Judeo-Christian” values as part of his projected approach to national security should he be elected. At his National Press Club speech, Kasich stated that he’d create “a new agency that has a clear mandate to promote the core, Judeo-Christian Western values that we and our friends and allies share: the values of human rights, the values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association.“

Fortunately the constitutionality of such a nonsensical concept was swiftly raised even amidst the media frenzy caused by the recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Islamic radicals—the clear source for such politically reactionary spewage. Our secular republic was established with the intention of preventing any religion from having hegemony, providing American citizens with the freedom of embracing any or no religion as a fundamental right. Fortunately, some aware media commentators, such as CNN’s Michael Smerconish, have made this observation.

It fascinates me that Kasich’s brief enumeration of the values he wishes to promote are emphatically not ones that have arisen from Judeo-Christian scriptures. Instead, they are secularist principles essential to the American Constitution and are also core concepts that current Western governments have embraced in their ongoing process of working towards an equitable society. We who are not fans of theism know that most “sacred” writings are a contradictory morass which can be cherry-picked to support almost any perspective, be it permissive or oppressive. However Kasich’s catalog is one that stands in contrast to the historical practices of the theism he embraces and proposes should be governmentally proselytized. His lack of awareness of this contradiction should be troubling, considering his current—and any future—elected offices.

Kasich has backed-off from his misguided intention, however, this exposes something that should be noted. His assumption that Judeo-Christianity is the source for these principles points out his lack of awareness of the actual tenets of the ancient religion of which he is an adherent. He is not alone in such incomprehension. He naively assumes a “God and Country” unity that is contrary to the mechanisms of the government of the United States. His apologists are quick to claim that he didn’t mean what he said, however, anyone campaigning to head this nation should be very precise in both his thinking and his statements on such crucial issues.

The oath of the office he seeks demands that he "will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Clearly Kasich seems unaware of the secular nature inherent in that office and the Constitution he must uphold, hence I consider his ignorance grounds to disqualify his candidacy in the minds of all Americans who stand for the values of our nation’s founders.

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No Honors In False Equality

If everyone doesn’t get to wear a little white stole, no one can. Because hurt feelings and such. I wonder if they will still have any sort of class rankings in schools anymore.

“Whelp. Can’t have a valedictorian or salutatorian any more because the other students will feel bad because it’s not them."

It’s been many years since I graduated high school and I remember it being a big academic competition (amongst us nerds, at least). School administrators are really setting kids up for failure in the real world, and this is part of why college students need their ”safe spaces“. — Priestess Kim Rice

The robe itself is part of it. Masters wear hoods, Doctors wear caps. It was appropriate that those achieving above the grade in academia should be distinguished in this way, at the appropriate time for just such distinction.

Are the sports champs giving up trophies, yet?

— Magistra Peggy Nadramia

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Regarding Satanic After-School Clubs (By Magus Peter H. Gilmore)

Since the Church of Satan only allows legal adults as members, and since we are against all forms of possible proselytizing, we do not sponsor “clubs” in schools.

We encourage intelligent young people who have an interest to study our literature, and they may ask questions of us directly should they not understand any of our principles. We have many responsive spokespersons to handle such queries. In general, our written materials are quite straightforward and without the need for interpretation found in the texts of most religions.

Additionally, we do not support forms of activism which require Satanists to behave like members of other religions who do try to force their ideas on young people. We are strict secularists and individualists and oppose having religion foisted on students via peer pressure or other coercive means.

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One Satanic Panic Was Enough — Debunking Ted Gunderson And #Pizzagate (By Reverend Joel Ethan)

If you want to look really stupid, just try linking Satanism to this #pizzagate nonsense.

This old video of Ted Gunderson has resurfaced and people who live in a “post-fact” world are passing it on as some kind of smoking gun. Luckily for the non-brain dead among us this has been well documented as a load of crap. Ted Gunderson of course, was a total tinfoil hat lunatic and embarrassment to the FBI, whom the SPLC described as someone who “never met a conspiracy theory he didn’t believe.”

In the video circulating, Gunderson talks of links between the Illuminati, pedophilia and Satanism. This is as based in reality as his belief that aliens flew UFO’s to earth to give US Government the cure to Down Syndrome but the government is withholding it from people as a form of population control. If only that was a joke—it’s not.

Let’s run down the list:

Illuminati? No. The only documented Illuminati that has ever existed, ceased to do so in the late 1700’s.

Pedophilia? No. Not only is harming children specifically forbidden in our 11 Satanic Rules of the Earth, but also, while Satanism has always explicitly condoned all forms of sexual expression, it has always been only to those interactions between consenting adults. When it comes to pedophilia, the Roman Catholic Church has spent vast sums of money protecting pedophile priests and made continued long-term efforts covering up their crimes while allowing continued abuse of children under their supervision. The Christians must own that one and this continued deflection is as transparent as their holy water—and just as useless.

As to Gunderson’s overall schtick, that’s been debunked repeatedly. Here’s the full FBI files from the investigations into all of Gunderson’s abuse and kidnapping claims showing they were completely baseless and not a single victim could ever be identified. Shock TV host Geraldo Rivera, who trumpeted much of this madness, even later recanted and apologized for helping it, noting that it was all obviously fabricated and that he was terribly wrong.

That was in 1995. So, if today—more than 20 years later—you believe and parrot any of these fallacies you are broadcasting to the world that you are not only a simpleton, but a gullible idiot as well.

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Freedom Of Speech Challenged In Berkeley (By Reverend M. Hunter)

Last night Breitbart Senior Editor Milo Yiannopoulos was forced to cancel a scheduled presentation at UC Berkeley and be evacuated as rioters violently attacked attendees, set fire to the campus, and destroyed public and private property. Regardless of how you feel about his views or the tone of his presentations, as Satanists we should be wary of this rising tide of violence against freedom of expression and speech.

We recognize that our own views and philosophical works are not of the masses and can be easily taken out of context and used as justification for persecution. During the Satanic Panic we were called every derogatory term under the sun, from child & animal killers to neo-fascists, regardless of our actual stances on respect for children and animals and upholding individualism and evaluating peers by “merit not inherit”.

Just as Satanists wouldn’t burn books—we read them and intelligently critique their content—when speakers are offered a platform, whether they are controversial or popular, there are civilized ways to offer discourse, criticism and alternative perspectives. Examining ideas is central to our philosophy, so that we can rationally select which to embrace and which to reject. To quote Stefan Molyneux: “Those who make conversations impossible, make escalation inevitable.”

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Here We Go Again: Satanic Graffiti In Amityville (By Magus Peter H. Gilmore)

This morning I awoke to news stories proclaiming that three churches located in North Amityville in Suffolk County on Long Island were vandalized with SATANIC GRAFFITI. Apparently, some time Saturday night, a vandal scrawled on the external walls of the Amityville Full Gospel Tabernacle, the Shaw Temple AME Zion Church, and the Zion Gospel Church, all close to one another. Oddly, none of the major news reports, which include ABC’s Eyewitness News account, show any of the graffiti. However, it was explained in other reports that the offending graffiti was painted over before the Sunday morning services. I did find one image posted online in the past few hours of an upright pentagram in a circle painted on a set of double doors. The footage shown on ABC, including an interview with Pastor Willard Price of the Zion Gospel church, includes an image of doors that may be from the same building, but the graffiti had already been overpainted. The report states that the police are calling this “satanic graffiti” and that it is being investigated as a hate crime.

During my search for additional images of this so-called “satanic graffiti,” I discovered a report that there had been another vandalism incident five days ago in East Meadow Long Island—roughly ten miles west of last night’s crime—which was being labelled the same way. CBS News reported that the New Covenant Church of East Meadow was vandalized with “satanic worship symbols.” Their pastor, Rob Taormina, states in an interview that “if somebody came and painted your house up with satanic symbols I think you’d be disturbed, too, ‘cause you don’t know who they are and you [don’t] know if they’d come back.” In this case, a glass vestibule door was smashed as well.

I’ve long been a consultant for law enforcement, assisting during investigations of crimes using unusual symbols, and I’ve not yet been called in on either of the incidents mentioned above. However, upon examining the news story images, what stands out to me immediately is that in both towns a form of pentagram was drawn which has one point up. This is not a symbol used in either Satanism or Devil worship—where two-point-up pentagrams are employed—but is found in the neo-pagan religion of Wicca in its various forms. The East Meadow images show inverted crosses and the word “Satin” which shows that the writer is either illiterate, or into shiny fabric. Also the words “DEVIL, WITCH, SPELL, CURSED” as well as a “frowning face” emoji are crudely inscribed.

Now, if the criminal doing this vandalism was actually knowledgable about Satanism or Devil worship, then I think the pentagrams would be the proper sort, not the neo-pagan version we see here. Also the incorrect spelling of “Satan” and simply the use of terms popularly associated with witchcraft lead me to think that the person who did this is most likely a Christian who is going by fairly typical misprisions regarding these non-Christian religions. This hateful person wanted the people attending these churches to feel that this crime was done by an adherent of Satanism, Devil worship or some form of witchcraft involving reverence for The Devil—like you see in horror films or in those books published by evangelical Christians which spread grave misinformation about non-Christian religions.

This sort of thing was common during the years of the “Satanic Panic” back in the 80s-90s, wherein similar graffiti—often accompanied by “666” and symbols used by various anti-Christian metal bands—was found on building walls and under bridges and so on. Back then, such things were likely done by metal fans who shared the anti-Christian biases of the bands they followed or by disaffected youths dabbling in the sort of “satanism” they saw being depicted by the media as a form of rebellion. We deal with the meaning of 666 and other symbols on our web site.

These two recent incidents look more to me like they were done by a Christian who wants people to think that somebody associated with a religion employing these symbols has a grudge against these churches. It is clear to me that, whether Christian or not, the perpetrator is ignorant of Satanism, Wicca, and Devil worship. Whatever hatred is in the mind of this criminal, the deed was done by someone who is not an adherent of Satanism, Devil worship or Wicca, and simply wants to blame their own anger on these other religions while terrorizing the congregations of these churches.

Even when vandals do use symbols that reflect Satanism, since we have a philosophy that does not condone criminal actions it should be clear that anyone committing such crimes is not a Satanist, or if self-identified as such is acting in a manner contrary to our belief system. This article from 2008 covers this topic rather well.

Considering the past lunatic obsession with a manufactured conspiracy of predatory “satanists” out to get people, it is incumbent upon both law enforcement and the media not to jump to unwarranted conclusions by proclaiming this is “satanic graffiti” when Satanism is not its source. The Church of Satan is a 50 year old, legally incorporated religious organization with members worldwide who abhor this sort of crime. We’ve been through one hysteria—begun by evangelical Christians and taken up by misinformed law enforcement agencies and sensationalist media outlets—that caused harm to many innocent people. We do not want to see that madness rising again, abetted by uninformed or biased forensic analysis and reportage. I trust that this vandal will be apprehended via diligent police work based on an accurate grasp of the deeds done and receive due punishment for these crimes.

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Satanism Is Americanism! Then And Now

On this upcoming Independence Day some of us will look back at these words by our founder Anton LaVey and reflect on what’s changed and what remains the same. After being confronted with the factions vying for influence over our society, many conservatives have unfortunately chosen God over The Flag, betraying the clear secularism of our Founding Fathers. Our nation again finds itself in a struggle between partisan extremes from which I trust a new clear-thinking generation will arise to cut through and find a Third Side, embracing and continuing the progress we’ve made towards individual freedom while questioning hypocritical religious morality. — Reverend M. Hunter

To sum up our political doctrine: Satanism IS Americanism in its purest form, with only the outdated moral codes altered to fit the times, and with recognition of the fact that only if man’s most basic instincts are satisfied can a nation receive his best. When it becomes common knowledge that we do not advocate or even approve of denial or desecration of such sacred American traditions as home, family, patriotism, personal pride, etc., but instead champion these things, our one-time opponents in “The Establishment” will not have a leg to stand on.

Actually, in view of the vast numbers of religious leaders defending and expounding the extreme liberal philosophy of the hippie or drug culture, conservative organizations will (and already do) find Satanism far more compatible with their doctrines than they now think it to be. I feel rather sorry for (but, I must admit, amused, by) the poor old “dyed-in-the-wool” con­servative who considers The Flag and God to be in­separable institutions, because the “New Christianity” is composed of the drug-befuddled wretches they find totally reprehensible. It looks as though one is going to be forced to choose between God and The Flag, or else become part of a dying society. I realize most would think me far too optimistic, but I can simply see the change coming.

I think back just five short years ago, when I formally founded the Church. How many theologians were admitting to the irrationality and inconsistencies of their religions? Practically none! And once the stern, unyielding Christian Churches have admitted their errors, they might as well admit to defeat.

It is in young people such as yourself—proud walkers of the Left-Hand Path—whom I place my faith for the future of this, our fair land. America shall, indeed, have a bright future, once she has “weathered the storm” of those two opposing factions who respectively hate and love her, but would see her torn asunder in order to prove their respective points.

Love for one’s country must be shown in much the same way as love for another person. We must be able to see her faults and work towards changing them, without robbing her of all pride and dignity in the process. On the other hand, we must not blindly accept her faults and constantly make excuses for her, for that is not love—it is infatuation! — Anton Szandor LaVey (1971, from “Letters To The Devil”)

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Hobby Lobby & ISIS Sitting In A Tree... (By Reverend Joel Ethan)

Theists wanting to control what those around them may do is not a new thing, nor does any religion have an monopoly on that behavior. Openly call it Sharia or thinly veil it as Religious Freedom, the motivation and goal is the same—using whatever power you have at your disposal to force those around you to comply with your religion’s beliefs. One need look no further than at the bloody history of Christianity’s fractious denominations or at the replies we receive on Twitter to know that—if they thought they could get away with it—directing violence at people not sharing their beliefs would fast be on the menu. Hell, you can look at recent domestic terrorist attacks in the US and see that many of the faithful don’t even care if they can get away with it. But, as groups who think they have God-given blessings, they grab for any available form of dominance whenever they can to assert their righteousness.

Christian extremists think of themselves as polar opposites and antagonists to Islamic extremists—and that conflict goes back to The Crusades, when Europeans invaded the Middle East, ostensibly to protect their Christian heritage. The mercenary soldiers looted art and artifacts and stole land from the local Muslim infidels, raping and pillaging with the support of their clerics. And of course there were Islamic invaders of Europe who did the same thing to those they overwhelmed. We know these theists are all cut from the same cloth and that this proposed separation is only about particular holy books, not methodology.

Anyone who has been watching this space knows Hobby Lobby as the Christian-owned company that fought in court for the right to avoid paying for some insurance-covered employee health benefits due to “deeply held religious beliefs.” More interestingly, they’re back in the news for smuggling ancient Iraqi artifacts into the US. They claim an interest in amassing such things to bolster their belief in their scriptures. Now that they’ve been caught, Hobby Lobby has agreed to pay a sizable fine and will forfeit all the artifacts to their nation of origin which has many applauding that justice has been done. Yet that ignores a crucial piece of this story—from whom were they purchasing these looted artifacts in the first place?

That’s not really a question so much as a way of revealing an answer that we already know. They were in all likelihood buying them from ISIS. The Islamic State ransacking of historical sites is well documented, as is their destruction of historically important art and architectural landmarks. What’s also known is that they also sell-off anything they can to help fund their other terrorist operations. Following that math to it’s logical conclusion results in the extremist Christians at Hobby Lobby directly financially contributing to ISIS coffers. That forms of theism mutually hostile towards one another collude here is shocking to the naive but unsurprising to objective observers as these believers have all often shown their willingness to compromise supposedly “deeply-held” ethics if it means furthering their broader agendas. Sadly, this behavior is standard practice for the oh so publicly pious and we expect many would find it disgusting and in the case of supporting terrorism, an act of treason.

As Satanists, we are not surprised to see these religious extremists in bed with each other. But we do not endorse that these practices should continue, as they lead to ongoing subjugation of non-believers. We do not differentiate between which book of fables or which imaginary celestial friend is used to justify whatever form of oppression is being forced on others. We object to all theism-based social control, legally backed or otherwise. And we recognize these opportunistic hypocrites for what they are, and continue to stand in opposition, advocating for a truly secular society in which all are held accountable for their actions.

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High Preist Peter H. Gilmore Comments on John Oliver’s Alex Jones Segment

“The fact that Jones dons a blue sports jacket and a Rolex, which he equates with the values of human prosperity and empowerment — actual Satanic values — to infiltrate and expose us is laughable. We certainly appreciate bespoke suits and finely crafted accessories, but Jones is going to need more than those trinkets to “enter our world.” Fundamentalist Christian hucksters like Jones always prey on the fears of their followers by providing scapegoats, so we aren’t surprised that he preaches an anti-life morality to personally profit off those gullible enough to buy into his irrational conspiracy theories. Tormenting the parents of the Sandy Hook victims gets no kudos from us, for as Satanists we seek justice, which means punishing actual criminals and not using such tragedies as a means for promoting fantasies about non-existent conspiracies.”

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Missouri Abortions (By Reverend Joel Ethan)

(The Satanic Temple is self-acknowledged satire and an activist group, which pretends to be a religion when it suits their ends. They do not reflect the philosophy of Satanism.)

An ongoing case in Missouri has received publicity wherein activists masquerading as Satanists are involved in a lawsuit regarding currently mandated pre-abortion procedures. As our organization, founded in 1966, defined for the world the meaning of Satanism as a religion and philosophical point of view, we’ve been asked by journalists for a statement. Here is some food for thought.

We Satanist citizens of the United States uphold the separation of church and state as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. When considering matters regarding legislating what someone can and cannot do with their own bodies, we think doctors and scientists are far better consultants for establishing state-fostered medical procedures than religious leaders or other “people of faith.” If a state has enacted laws based on any particular religion’s values, those laws should be challenged and struck down on the basis that they violate the separation of church and state which Americans are supposed to uphold, not by muddying the waters with arguments based on competing religious points of view. Thus we uphold secularism as the standard for our government and its doings, not religious pluralism.

A little bit of research makes it clear that The Satanic Temple is self-acknowledged satire and an activist group, which pretends to be a religion when it suits their ends. They do not reflect the philosophy of Satanism which our organization has outlined in great detail over five decades, though at times they clearly lift ideas from our extensive literature. We consider anyone claiming to be a Satanist and solely using TST membership as evidence as either being misinformed or as lying. The supposedly “sincerely held beliefs” of TST adherents are scanty, nebulous, and contradictory. We have compiled this fact sheet which provides evidence for our evaluation of them, and which we think any rational individual would want to consider before accepting their press releases or other statements at face value.

The Church of Satan does not condone political activists appropriating the name of our 50 year old religion in support of their activism, whether we agree with their stated goals or not. As a “new” religion, compared to the majority of commonly acknowledged belief systems, keeping our definitions clear is imperative so that Satanism can be understood from any cultural point of view as a distinct and developed religion that has at this point inspired thousands towards fulfilling their lives. Thus when our members state that they are Satanists it can be readily known that they advocate governmental secularism, liberty and equity for all under the law—with all genders and orientations included, so long as believers in other religions do not use force to demand submission to their doctrines or other religiously inspired values.

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Are We What We Create? (By Reverend Campbell)

As a Satanic content creator, I am constantly thinking about how what I produce effects others’ understanding and perception of Satanism as a religion. From the essays I write which are shared throughout social media to the videos I produce that are liked and commented on, I try to represent Satanism in the way I perceive it. But what am I saying about myself in the process?

Do people consume this content and believe they are in some way connecting with me as an individual? By consuming this content are they in part accepting the responsibilities of its creator, me—my habits, mannerisms, thoughts and expressions? Are we what we create?

I would like to think that I have some anonymity from my audience. I want a space between us not just for myself—primarily for myself—but also for the audience. You shouldn’t care about me as the producer as much as you care about the content produced. I use a version of myself to represent the work, to package and brand it. You know, to sell it to you, but the content stands on its own, for good or ill. And the persona I adopt and display for this content is just a creation of mine, not intended to be taken as a direct version of the man I am in my personal interactions with others.

Am I in some way rationalizing this approach so I can then extrapolate it towards people in the greater world at large, so I could excuse my indulgence in the content others have created despite their wretched and illegal personal behaviors? When Roman Polanski was arrested in 1977 for sexually assaulting a 13 year old model, did the world stop watching Rosemary’s Baby, or refuse to watch The Ninth Gate 20 years later? Will you see the movie Seven or the series House of Cards differently because Kevin Spacey is accused of sexual assault? What about the near daily press coverage of other actors and comedians being accused of inappropriate or illegal behavior? Should we ban all of their creations, which have been produced with the cooperation of many individuals, or are we able to divorce the illegal and unconscionable behavior of these flawed creators from their creations? And by making such a separation of the creations from the creators, are we in some way justifying that behavior?

No. I don’t think we should make the creations disappear, and I don’t think we justify that appalling behavior by finding value in things made by people who have acted improperly towards others. We are not making political statements simply because of the content we consume to be entertained. And equally, we do not need to accept this behavior if we find value in these works. Our actions of turning on a movie, reading a book or listening to music are not tacit approvals of all the behaviors their creators have exhibited, good or bad. We need to stop looking at everything we do as some justification for other’s behavior and focus on ourselves, focus on our own motivations and expressions.

As a Satanist I take responsibility for my own actions in life, I do not take responsibility for the doings of others. I refuse to accept that I support Harvey Weinstein’s illegal behavior because I will continue to watch Pulp Fiction. But I will speak out against said behavior if the proper opportunity comes up. I don’t have to be a cheerleader for the destruction of others, they seem to be doing a pretty good job of it themselves. As a Satanist I find my time and energy best directed to my own ends, and in the end, that is the only way I will be able to be in control of my own life.

We are not what we create, but we are responsible for it. We can admire creations without endorsing every act of the people who made them. Judge the creation for what it is, and if the persons who made it are less than admirable, then that understanding reveals a sad truth about the imperfect nature of human beings.

Hail Satan!

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The Origin Of The Goat Of Mendes

In ancient Egyptian theology, it was believed that a vital essence existed in every living person. This spark of life was referred to as the ka, and it was thought to have been created by a deity at the moment of conception. When a person died, the Egyptians believed that the ka would leave the body and divide into two parts: the akh and the ba. Although the precise details of the Egyptian concept of death and their myths regarding the afterlife are known to have varied somewhat as the centuries passed, it was generally thought that a deceased person’s akh, their spirit or intellect, made a perilous journey through the underworld to a place where he or she would eventually be judged by the gods. Meanwhile, the ba of the deceased, which can be understood in terms of their soul or their personality, would continue to dwell on Earth among the living.

In the fields of archaeology and anthropology, it’s certainly no secret that symbolism and symbolic behavior permeate practically every aspect of human society. The ancient Egyptians are known to have carried this fascination with symbolism somewhat further than most cultures, however, with the expressed belief that an intrinsic connection exists between objects, places, or events that exhibit similar characteristics or are symbolically similar in some manner. Thus, somewhere in the distant millennia of Egyptian prehistory, a significant symbolic connection was made between the word for soul, ba, and the word for ram, ba. Although there may have been a subtle difference in pronunciation between those two words, their transliteration is essentially the same.

Consequently, from an extremely early date in ancient Egyptian society, it was thought that a ram was the incarnation of a soul that resided on Earth amongst the living. In the Egyptian mind, the connection was remarkably profound. And in the village of Anpet (the future city of Mendes) in the Nile Delta, the symbolism invoked by the homonyms was evidently believed to provide incontrovertible proof that the soul in question was of a divine nature. Thus, a ram was potentially the living avatar of a god. And with that interpretation having been firmly established in the ancient Egyptian psyche, the Goat of Mendes was born.

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Significance Lost: Symbols And The Sante Fe Shooting (By Magus Peter H. Gilmore)

Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the young man identified as the shooter in today’s horrific crime at the Santa Fe High School, apparently wore a mix of incongruous symbols on a vest, one of which seems to be a version of our Sigil of Baphomet. He is not a member of the Church of Satan and note that we don’t accept minors nor do we support the religious indoctrination of children. While symbols can be a statement of allegiance to particular beliefs and practices, when worn as decorations they are often employed by the wearer to mark what is currently trending in one’s peer group, not to represent anything more meaningful. Many individuals sport crosses of various sorts, sometimes along with symbols of ethnic ancestry, but these do not indicate that there is any doctrine being proposed by the wearers. They just like the look of the trinkets. And you’ll find this practice to be common amongst those who are law abiding and those who are not.

The Church of Satan, founded in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey, employs a pentagram symbol which includes a stylized goat face encircled by the word Leviathan in Hebrew. This emblem represents a law and order philosophy demanding that its adherents must be responsible for their actions and should deal with one another justly—and regarding those who are criminals, that the punishment for their misdeeds should fit in kind and degree the crimes committed. Now, over 50 years later, this symbol has been through a bastardization during the proliferation of Metal music to be diluted to a vague icon of rebellion. Today there are mass-produced variants of it crowding the shelves of trendy, youth-oriented mall stores as jewelry items or on t-shirts. The purchasers see it as just another cool adornment to pin to a vest or wear on their backs, either to fit in amongst or piss off others with whom they socialize. Like hip and edgy t-shirts in the past emblazoned with images of Mao, Lenin, Einstein, Ché Guevara, and other iconic figures, the wearers are typically not cognizant as to whom these individuals might have been, let alone what ideas they championed—these are just pre-packaged fashion statements, not sworn allegiance to any political or religious ideologies. Some might be perceived as providing ready made “good guy” or “bad boy” cred—that’s the actual shallowness of such gestures.

Pagourtzis mixed a German Iron Cross (used by their military as a high honor but later typically part of biker sub-culture attire), a Soviet Hammer and Sickle pin (ostensibly representing Communist doctrines), and a cephalopod which is being dubbed Cthulhu (a chaotic alien god from Lovecraft’s horror tales), a pocket watch, and a rendition of what we call the Sigil of Baphomet. The actual ideas, philosophies and practices behind these symbols are not in any way consistent with one another and the purpose for this assemblage seems to have been to offer a sort of loose rebellious sensibility, as all of these icons have been demonized by society over time.

At this point little is known about Pagourtzis’ situation and what prompted him to take this heinous course of action. We have yet to discover what meaning any of these objects might have had for him, whether he understood them or not. When addressing the Columbine tragedy of 1999, I wrote words which might prove as applicable to Pagourtzis as they are to Klebold and Harris:

“One thing might have helped defuse the situation: Satanism. If Klebold and Harris had understood real Satanism and chosen to live by it, their vengeance spree would not have happened. Satanism would have taught them that, indeed, they were not like these others, and that such is a positive attribute. Satanism would have taught them that they had only one life, and that their intelligence and talent would take them along paths which would lead to their drinking deeply from that cup which is offered but once. They would have known that Satanists practice Lex Talionis, making the punishment fit in kind and degree the crime.”

We Satanists mourn with those who are the family and friends of these victims, for we understand that life lost is not to be regained. May we find the ways and means to understand and help those disturbed individuals who decide they have no other recourse than murder to solve whatever they perceive as intolerable stress. Taking positive action to prevent such situations in the future should be a goal we can agree upon as a society, regardless of whatever religious or political perspectives we might hold.

[theunofficialchurchofsatan]

Has Satanism Changed For You Too? (BY Reverend Campbell)

When I first heard about The Satanic Bible, I was in 7th grade. It was a frightening and exciting thought, that there would be a bible devoted to Satan’s religion. (I came from a LDS religious background.) My friend, whose brother supposedly had the book, refused to even bring it to school, which only added to the mystery.

My first exposure to the religion of Satanism was The Devil’s Notebook, a collection of essays addressing ideas that were new, interesting and thrilling for me to consume and contemplate. This infused a sense of intellect to the religion that my earlier imaginings hadn’t even considered. The book’s background aesthetic was one of ancient script on a field of red adorned with the Sigil of Baphomet. Satanism was both style and substance. When I finally got my hands on The Satanic Bible later that year, its simple and impactful design filled my imagination with rituals, nude altars and power! The Sigil of Baphomet on a field of black spoke volumes in its simplicity. Then you turned it over and you are hit with the striking and strange visage of Anton LaVey. Talk about a one-two punch of impactful design! The next book I consumed was The Secret Life of a Satanist. Up until this book, Satanism was Anton LaVey to me.

I knew the Church of Satan existed prior to my reading of these books, but the presentation of the religion was always from the Doktor. My understanding of Satanism continued to evolve the more I read newsletters like The Cloven Hoof and books like The Satanic Scriptures and The Fire From Within. The more I studied, the less centered around LaVey the religion became. Certainly, as the founder of the religion, I appreciated his thoughts and ideas, but I quickly perceived a separation between the man and his creation.

By the time I heard of his death, I had been identifying as a Satanist for years. I knew I had always been a Satanist, before I even knew that name. My unwarranted concern for the religion’s longevity was eased when Blanche Barton and later Peter H. Gilmore were appointed the High Priestess and High Priest of the Church of Satan respectively. At that time there were lies and rumors being spread, and the future of the organization put into question simply because its founder had passed. This was a strange notion to me—I understood LaVey as the founder of the Church of Satan and the religion of Satanism, but not the entirety of either.

As the years passed and my studies progressed, my perspectives on the religion and founding organization that defined and defended it from its inception, continued to evolve. I didn’t see Satanism solely as a philosophy, rather it struck me as a living entity, continually in flux—informed by its administration and members, their contributions and creations. As members came under and at times left the tent, each brought with them some different understanding that helped inform my own. The vast diversity of its members views on sociology, politics and personal expression are what set this organization apart, enriched it.

As a grown man, I am baffled at the naive thought that Satanism was simply the rituals, nude altars and power I perceived it to be as a child. Now, to me it is so much more than the philosophy, because it is a philosophy of action. This means the religion itself is informed by its adherents’ real world accomplishments and exercises. It is alive in the single mother working two jobs to provide her children with opportunity, and in the politician passing legislation supporting the maintenance of individual freedom. It is alive in the artists who express themselves through their work and tradesmen who provide invaluable services for their community.

Satanism hasn’t actually changed, but my understanding of it has attained greater breadth and depth. The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Scriptures are founding documents, they set this religion’s stage, but that is just the very beginning of the complex production that is each member’s life. It is when you leave that auditorium and gaze out to the open horizon that Satanism truly begins—confined only by your willingness to explore it. When Anton LaVey spoke of exercising your demons, I saw it as more than creative pop-culture wordplay. We must exercise our “Satanic muscles” by using them in as many ways we can—our interactions in the real world, our individual successes in achieving our goals are the active summoning of our inner demons, unleashing them into the world!

Satanism has useful ideas contained in books, but these are just potentials waiting to be realized. It takes each individual putting them into action for Satanism to truly live. That is vital existence.

Hail Satan!

[theunofficialchurchofsatan]

“Selling Souls” F.A.Q.

Q: How do I sell my soul?

A: Satanists do not believe in God, Satan, Heaven, or Hell. There are no souls—and nobody to buy them. If you want something out of life, get off your lazy butt and work for it.

Q: If I join the Church of Satan will I become rich and famous and have sex with anyone I desire?

A: No

Q: What can the Church of Satan do for me?

A: Nothing that you can’t do for yourself. There is no supernatural magic to change your life. We offer a realistic, pragmatic, materialist philosophy which challenges you to work hard towards attaining your goals while living within the laws of the place where you live. If you are not up for that, then Satanism is not for you.